Oswald, Andrew J. and Powdthavee, Nattavudh (2008) Does happiness adapt? : a longitudinal study of disability with implications for economists and judges. Journal of Public Economics, Vol.92 (No.5/6). pp. 1061-1077. doi:10.1016/j.jpubeco.2008.01.002 ISSN 0047-2727.

Preview

PDF WRAP_Oswald_23decospowdisability2007.pdf - Requires a PDF viewer. Download (142Kb)

Request Changes to record.

Abstract

This paper is an empirical study of partial hedonic adaptation. It provides longitudinal evidence that people who become disabled go on to exhibit considerable recovery in mental well-being. In fixed-effects equations we estimate the degree of hedonic adaptation at — depending on the severity of the disability — approximately 30% to 50%. Our calculations should be viewed as illustrative; more research, on other data sets, is needed. Nevertheless, we discuss potential implications of our results for economists and the courts.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Economics
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	People with disabilities, Adaptability (Psychology), Happiness, Hedonic damages
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Public Economics
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0047-2727
Official Date:	7 January 2008
Dates:	Date Event 7 January 2008 Published
Volume:	Vol.92
Number:	No.5/6
Page Range:	pp. 1061-1077
DOI:	10.1016/j.jpubeco.2008.01.002
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access (Creative Commons)

Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge

Request changes or add full text files to a record

Repository staff actions (login required)

View Item

Downloads